Power and Energy Systems

The Power and Energy Systems Area is part of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The area includes five full-time faculty and thirty-nine graduate research assistants with substantial interaction with other groups. Facilities include a state-of-the-art power electronics and electric machinery laboratory used for both research and curriculum purposes and a computer lab equipped with PCs. The power faculty offers approximately twelve courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, covering electromechanics, power electronics, and power systems. Thanks to the Power Affiliates Program, the area enjoys extensive interaction with industry. The area has leadership in the College's Future Energy Challenge program, which promotes interdisciplinary student involvement in important current energy topics, as well as participation in the Solar Decathlon. This page and its links offer an overview of the activities and services provided by the Power and Energy Systems Area.

The Power and Energy Systems Area at the University of Illinois is a leading participant in the national Power Systems Engineering Research Center (PSERC). The Power and Energy Systems Area is also home to the Grainger Center for Electric Machinery and Electromechanics, a collaborative network of universities dedicated to electric machines and power electronics.

Concentrations

Activity in the Power and Energy Systems Area focuses on the following three topics:

· Power Systems: Concerned with the most economic, most reliable ways to assemble and operate a large electric power network, given its inherent nonlinearities and uncertainties.

· Power Electronics: Seeks better, more reliable ways to design, analyze, and control switching power converters.

· Electric Machines: Studies devices for converting motion into electromagnetic energy, and vice-versa. with a special emphasis on control issues.

Other Information

This site also provides resources for visitors, including complete detail about laboratory equipment and its design, benchmark circuits for power electronics, and other information.

Grainger Center for Electric Machinery and Eletromechanics